Collectors ~ A Legendary Sword of King Seongjong

“Collectors” is a 2020 Korean film, categorized as Heist, Adventure, Action, and Comedy with a touch of Revenge/Justice; streaming on Viki.

SUMMARY: Is there really an Excalibur of Joseon?

♦ Remember Me? You Buried Me Alive!

“Collectors” is about a little boy named Kang Dong-Goo, who was given “a second life”. He should have died but somebody looking for buried treasure found him instead. Although it was unintentional, saving that child’s life is far better than finding buried treasure. When the boy grew up, guess what he did for a living. He found cultural treasures and sold them for a pretty penny. An honest living? Uuuhh … not exactly.

You could say it was getting the education, training, and skills he needed to perform the ultimate treasure hunt. He planned to find the Excalibur of Joseon, i.e. the legendary sword of King Seongjong. According to his research, because he promoted Confucianism, the king’s grave did not contain treasures. However, it was said that his son secretly buried his father’s sword in his grave and none of the officials or nobles knew. Only the Minister of Culture and Education knew because he was given the secret order. Kang Dong-Goo found the document and had it authenticated. No kidding! The cultural artifacts expert said it was the real deal.

OK! He knows the sword exists and knows where to find it. All he needs now is a buyer. He already has a buyer in mind. Really? WHO? The man who buried him alive when he a a little boy. Oh! Uumm … it will be dangerous. This man is a ruthless criminal. Suppose he tries to kill him again. Kang Dong-Goo has already calculated the risk. He knows it’s a lion’s den, but he’s going in!

Main Characters:

• Kang Dong-Goo (played by Lee Je-Hoon, “The Art of Negotiation”, “Time to Hunt”, “Chief Detective 1958”, “Taxi Driver 1 and 2”, “Move to Heaven”, “My Paparotti”, “An Ethics Lesson”, “Tomorrow With You”)
• Dr. Johns (played by Jo Woo-Jin, “Gangnam B-Side”, “Happiness”, “Harbin”, “Kingmaker”, “Seobok”, “The Bros”)
• Curator Yoon (played by Shin Hae-Sun, “Following”, “Brave Citizen”, “Dear Hye-Ri”, “See You in My 19th Life”, “Welcome to Samdal-ri”, “Don’t Buy the Seller”, “Angel’s Last Mission: Love”, “Mr. Queen”, “Stranger”)
• Sabdari (played by Lim Won-Hee, “Wok of Love”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.3 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this movie 9.4 out of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.1 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as MDL.

I think the Viki viewers were overly generous with their rating. “Collectors” was a tad bit too predictable. Even so, you wanted to watch until the end to make sure everything turned out OK. This film is cute, just like “Gate”, another heist movie. The moral of the story is clear: If you want to trick a bad guy and get revenge, use their own greed against them. Works every time!

A BIT OFF TOPIC BUT …

FYI. Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs in Seoul, South Korea are well-preserved and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This movie does address a serious problem though. Grave robbing in South Korea (and in other countries) is usually tied to the theft of cultural artifacts from ancient tombs and burial sites. Make no mistake. It’s a crime! In particular, it violates the South Korea’s Protection of Cultural Properties Act.

Me? I have a problem with people desecrating the grave of another human being. I don’t care what the reason is, it disturbs me.  “Rest in Peace” are not empty words. They are meaningful! In America, people were digging up graves to use the remains in an insurance scam. They were trying to fake their own death to collect insurance money.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? Some people can go very low.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Collectors | The Asian Cinema Critic

Film Review: Collectors (2020) by Park Jung-bae | Asian Movie Pulse

Movie Review: Collectors (2020) | The cat that watches TV

London Korean Film Festival [Review] “Collectors” | Voice of London

TRAILER/TEASER:

CJ ENM. “COLLECTORS Official Int’l Main Trailer.” YouTube, 5 Nov. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vl9-M7FFsw.

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